In a major development for the global beauty sector, luxury house Kering has created a beauty products division called Kering Beauté and appointed Raffaella Cornaggia as Chief Executive Officer.
Cornaggia also becomes a member of the Group’s Executive Committee. She will be based in Paris and report to Kering Group Managing Director Jean-François Palus.
In her new role, and supported by a team of seasoned professionals, she will help develop an expertise in the beauty category for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Pomellato and Qeelin.
Cornaggia is a highly experienced and much-respected figure in the beauty and travel retail sectors. She began her career in beauty at L’Oréal where she occupied various roles for ten years in Italy and in France, before joining Chanel Parfums Beauté as Global Vice President, Marketing Makeup.
In 2008, Cornaggia joined Estée Lauder Companies at the time of the creation of its EMEA region to lead the marketing for Estée Lauder and Tom Ford Beauty, based in Paris.
She then moved to Asia where she was appointed Senior Director, Brand Development for Estée Lauder and Tom Ford Beauty, and later promoted to Vice President and General Manager for MAC Cosmetics in the region. In 2017, she spearheaded the development of the travel retail business worldwide for Estée Lauder and Aerin, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, based in New York.
Cornaggia then became International Senior Vice President and General Manager for the brands in 2020, responsible for worldwide business outside of the US and Canada.
Kering said the creation of Kering Beauté will enable the Group to support these brands in the development of the beauty category, describing the sector as “a natural extension of their universe”.
Kering said it is confident it can create value for the group and its houses, drawing on each of their unique identities in a way that is fully consistent with their respective strategies and market positioning.
Palus said: “I am delighted to welcome Raffaella Cornaggia, who brings us considerable experience in a segment that we see as strategically important for our Houses. We are building this new area of expertise within our Group to ensure that our brands can fulfil their potential in this category.” ✈
